Facebook recently announced new tools for both its original Facebook platform and Facebook Messenger aimed at facilitating online purchases through these portals.

The social media giant is heavily focused on developing such tools to attract both e-tailers and shoppers to Facebook, as it looks to spur on the budding trend in social commerce. Retailers are also likely drawn in by Facebook's massive user base, which totals 1.7 billion people around the world.

On the main Facebook platform, the company plans to let merchants in emerging markets sell for free via their business pages, according to Fortune. Facebook's storefront tool is powered by e-commerce platform Shopify, which merchants subscribe to.

The rollout will be initially focused on markets in Southeast Asia and Latin America, and smaller merchants in these developing e-commerce areas will be able to display products for sale on their pages. When customers click on an item they want to purchase, they will be redirected to make purchases or book services via Facebook Messenger. This will help small businesses raise their visibility, as their products will be available for viewing by Facebook's one billion daily users.

Additionally, Icelandair has rolled out flight booking capabilities on Facebook Messenger. Users are able to message the Icelandair Messenger profile and input their desired trip information, including destination and the number of people traveling. Icelandair is the first airline to allow booking capabilities on Facebook Messenger.

In April, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines integrated with Facebook Messenger to let travelers check in to their flights and access their boarding passes. Icelandair's presence on the messaging app will likely encourage KLM to expand its own tools on the platform.

Facebook's extensive efforts to provide purchasing capabilities on its platforms could help bring social commerce to the mainstream. Roughly 1% of e-commerce orders in Q1 2016 occurred from a direct social media referral, according to Custora. This is down from just 2% during Q1 2015, indicating that shoppers prefer to make their purchases elsewhere. Facebook's global reach and trusted name could help its users feel more comfortable making purchases on the platform, particularly as the company continues to attract online merchants.

BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled a detailed report on social media's role in online retail that analyzes whether social media is driving direct sales with the use of embedded "Buy" buttons on social media posts, or referring traffic to retailers' websites and apps. It measures the impact social media has on e-commerce by looking at metrics such as conversion rates, average order value, and revenue generated by shares, likes, and tweets. It also outlines the latest commerce efforts by leading social networks.

Here are some of the key points from the report:

Social is driving much bigger increases in retail traffic than any other online channel. Social media increased its share of e-commerce referrals nearly 200% between the first quarters of 2014 and 2015.

For retailers to maintain these social gains, they will need to pay special attention to mobile, where social engagement with retail content is still limited. Social media users are 35% less likely to share a brand's or retailer's social post on mobile than they are on desktop computers.

Facebook continues to grow its lead as the dominant social commerce platform. Facebook accounts for 50% of total social referrals and 64% of total social revenue. The site's changing demographics could make older consumers a strong target for retailers leveraging the platform.

Pinterest is a major social commerce player despite a relatively small user base. The pinning platform drives 16% of social revenue despite an audience 6.5 times smaller than Twitter. New buy and action buttons on retailer posts should make Pinterest an even stronger referral and revenue engine for brands.

Twitter is losing its influence for mass-market merchants, but it could still have a role to play among sporting and events marketers, especially for location-based promotions. Recently, NFL and NBA teams have used Twitter to sell game tickets and merchandise.

Instagram doesn't drive significant sales activity for retailers but high-end companies have been leveraging the platform for branding purposes. New Buy buttons on paid posts, as well as increased targeting capabilities, could make the app a more important direct-response driver.

In full, the report:

Sizes social media's role for retailers compared to other referral sources such as search and email.

Examines how social media's transition to mobile is impacting the role of different social platforms.

Looks at how the different social networks stack up in terms of conversion rates, share of social-generated retail sales, and average order value.

Highlights up-and-coming social commerce players such as Snapchat and Instagram, and how brands are using them for influencer marketing.

Outlines the latest major commerce moves by Facebook and Twitter, which could help drive up conversion rates from social.

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